1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to data processing systems employing a satellite navigation system, such as the Global Positioning System (GPS) for tracking places traveled to and distances traveled between a plurality of way points or destinations.
2. Description of Prior Art
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,258,421 granted to Juhasz et al., a vehicle monitoring system is disclosed that comprises a data processing unit for receiving and processing data relevant to the operation of the vehicle, storage means for storing the data, a portable data link for exacting the data from the vehicle and a remote computer for analyzing the data and for providing print-outs for record keeping, maintenance and diagnostic purposes.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,041,206 granted to Scribner et al. a vehicle tracking system is disclosed in which the position of a vehicle is measured on the occurrence of a predetermined event by receiving a transmission from a navigational transmitter (e.g., a GPS satellite), and the position data is stored in an on-board data collector for subsequent retrieval.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,068,656 granted to Sutherland a system for monitoring and recording out-of-route mileage for long-haul trucks is disclosed. This system uses two-way radio communication between a central office and the vehicle and uses on-board datalogging equipment of the sort that can report on vehicle activity after the vehicle returns to its base.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,231,584 granted to Nimura et al. a vehicular navigation system employing manually designated start and end points is disclosed, which uses the end point of one segment of a trip as the start point of the next.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,428,542 granted to Liesveld a system for recording the distance traveled by a vehicle for tax-reporting purposes is disclosed. Lisveld""s system provides audible prompting messages to the vehicle operator on the occurrence of a predetermined event (e.g., turning the vehicle""s ignition switch on or off) and records the operator""s spoken response, which comprise the odometer reading and the current time.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,532,690 granted to Hertel a system for monitoring a vehicle moving within a designated area is disclosed the system also determines when the vehicle leaves the area.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,543,802 granted to Villevielle et al. a GPS system that stores way points in sequence so that a return route can be calculated is disclosed. The system provides for manually entered way points.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,612,875 granted to Haendel et al. a system for measuring distance traveled within a predetermined area, such as a state is disclosed. This system stores the entire boundary of a state in memory and measures miles traveled within that state so that a truck""s license fees can be properly apportioned.
The present invention provides a system and method for recording the distances traveled and the places visited by a monitored vehicle equipped with a navigational receiver and a computer-based datalogger having a clock and an on-board memory so that the datalogger can store time-stamped records of the latitude and longitude of places or destinations visited by the vehicle. In some embodiments of the invention an input means is provided for the vehicle operator so that he or she can assign a label or way point identifier to each one of the destination visited. Additionally, in other embodiments an administrator can use a central computer located at the vehicle""s home base to assign labels to predetermined locations to be visited by the vehicle. Means are provided for communicating the set of time-stamped records from the vehicle to the central computer as well as communicating any administratively assigned labels from the central computer to the on-board datalogger. The central computer operates under software control to generate a map-like graphical output displaying a point corresponding to each of the destinations by by the vehicle visited. In a preferred embodiment the computer also displays the time spent at each destination during an operational period. An operational period begins when the vehicle leaves the home base and ends when the vehicle returns to the home base. A preferred display includes means of visually distinguishing between labeled and unlabeled destinations.
It is an object of the invention to provide a method of recording and accumulating the total number of miles traveled for business purposes during a predetermined operational period. In accordance with the preferred method the vehicle operator labels each destination that is visited for business purposes. Thereafter, the central computer calculates the distance in miles between destinations visited for business purposes and between any one of the destinations visited for business purposes and the home base, and identifies these as trips of a first type.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a method of monitoring the time spent at any one of the visited destinations, or, alternatively, at each of a plurality of destinations visited during an operational period. It is a specific object of the invention to provide a method that can serve as a time clock for use in billing time spent at a customer""s location. It is also an object of the invention to provide a method of monitoring the time spent at unlabeled destinations so as to generate an exception report usable by management to account for time spent at non-business purpose places and to indicate possible use of the monitored vehicle for other than business purpose, or assigned tasks.
It is yet a further object of the invention to provide a means of measuring the total distance traveled by a monitored vehicle and communicating that measurement to a central administrator responsible for distance-based scheduled maintenance of the vehicle. It is an additional specific object to use the measured distance and elapsed time to determine an average speed of the vehicle during a monitored interval.